Hidden Dangers in Georgia Homes
I was at a home inspection recently with a buyer who is from the west coast, and she made a comment about how there were so many things she didn’t even know she should be worried about discovering during the home inspection process while buying a house here in Georgia. Every state has issues localized to them, so I thought that was such a great point. Hi, I’m Sarah Maslowski with KeyPoint Homes Group, a local real estate agent serving the northeast metro Atlanta area. I specialize in relocation and have helped clients from all over the country and world relocate here to Georgia. If you are looking to move to Georgia, I want to be your real estate agent! So, what hidden dangers do we need to be looking for? One of the first hidden dangers you might encounter when you are looking at homes in Georgia is Polybutylene piping. Polybutylene is a form of plastic resin that was used to make water supply piping from 1978 until 1995. It was a very cheap alternative to materials like copper, so everyone thought it was going to be the best new product. Well, people later realized that this material breaks down easily when oxidants in the public water supplies, such as chlorine, react with the polybutylene piping and acetal fittings causing them to scale and flake and become brittle. This creates tiny fractures in the pipes which reduces the structural integrity of the pipes in the house, and over time, they can fail and basically flood your house. The cost to re-plumb a house can cost anywhere from fifteen hundred dollars to fifteen thousand dollars or more, depending on the size of the house and the type of new pipes being installed. If the house you are looking at was built after 1995, this is not something you need to worry about. I will always recommend that you have a professional home inspection during your due diligence time period, and the inspector will let us know whether or not the home has polybutylene pipes so we know whether or not to ask the seller for a credit towards your closing costs or to repipe the house. The next hidden danger we are going to be on the lookout for is Louisiana Pacific’s Inner Seal siding, aka LP siding. It was produced from 1985-1995 and was seen as a smarter, cheaper alternative to traditional plywood and quickly became a popular choice with builders. Well, in 1996, a class-action lawsuit was filed against LP citing manufacturing issues with the composite siding. Homeowners reported that their siding was cracking, swelling, discoloring, and even growing mold and fungus. It was also prone to termites and since Georgia is such a damp state, it did not fare well here. You won’t find a ton of houses that still have this siding, and it is usually quite obvious- it looks like the bottoms of the boards are rotten or swollen. The cost to re-side a house obviously depends on the size of your house and what you reside it with- but the average is about $12 per square foot, and about $10 thousand dollars for the whole project. The next hidden danger you might find in Georgia homes is termite damage. Termites love Georgia. Since Georgia is such a damp state and we have red clay instead of normal soil, it is hard for water to penetrate the ground quickly which can create a breeding ground for termites since they are attracted to moisture. It’s estimated that one in five houses in Georgia will have termite damage at one point or another. We have every home we help clients purchase inspected by a pest control company to check for termites since it is such a widespread issue here. It’s not always super obvious that there has been termite damage, hence the term hidden danger, since a lot of the damage they do is behind your walls, but you might notice crumbling or cracked wood on exterior walls. You can stay on top of preventing termites by having a pest control company come out regularly to treat your home. This is a pretty cheap and effective method that will save you in the long run. If a home has significant termite damage, the treatment for the termites themselves is likely going to cost you around $800-1,000, plus whatever the cost to fix any actual damage to the home is. It is estimated that the average homeowner who discovers termite damage will spend $3,000 to fix the issue. Atlas Chalet Shingles are the next hidden danger you’ll want to look out for when purchasing your Georgia home. This unique 3-tab shingle was created to be an affordable shingle that has a layered, 3 dimensional look like an architectural shingle. In reality, the Chalet was not an architectural shingle but was designed to look like one through a process of granular application. The was a super popular product with builders because it was cheap. In 2008, Atlas Corporation announced it would not produce the product anymore due to a “marketing decision,” but really it was because of the customer complaints and impending lawsuits. Around the Atlanta area, the Atlas Chalet shingles were especially common from about 2000 until they were discontinued in 2010, because they looked similar to high-end architectural shingles, but were more affordable. People claimed that the company misleadingly advertised that the Atlas Chalet shingle would last 30 years, when in reality, the shingles will blister and crack long before that – sometimes having problems within the first year or two after installation. We recently had a client purchase a home with Atlas Chalet shingles that were failing, and the seller paid for a new roof. Now, the seller in this scenario was OpenDoor and they needed to offload this property, so we did not have too much trouble getting them to agree to replace the roof. This won’t always be the easiest solution in a transaction, but most of the time when it comes to roofs that are failing, this is something that a seller’s insurance will pay to replace. Another literally invisible danger in Georgia homes is radon. Radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. Radon gas is inert, colorless and odorless and naturally exists in the atmosphere in trace amounts. Outdoors, radon disperses rapidly and, generally, is not a health issue, but when it is concentrated inside a home, can increase risks of lung cancer over time. Radon gas becomes trapped indoors after it enters buildings through cracks and other holes in the foundation, but it can be controlled with a properly installed mitigation system. The only way to know if a home has radon is by doing a radon test during your inspection period. This is something that I would say about 50% of clients choose to do. Radon is typically more present in homes with basements but can also be found in ranch homes, and you could do testing at one house and it tests incredibly high, then test the house next door and it could have perfectly safe levels. If you do a radon inspection during your due diligence and the reports show that the home has unsafe levels of radon, a radon mitigation system can be installed to fix the problem. A mitigation system usually costs around $1,200 to $2,000 dollars and luckily, it’s very easy to mitigate and requires no maintenance once this has been done. The last hidden danger is not really dangerous at all when taken proper care of, and that is a septic tank. Some people are very anti-septic, but about 50% of the homes here in North Georgia have septic systems, especially if the lot you live on is over half an acre. This is because it is really costly for the city to run septic lines to these bigger lots, so we have septic tanks instead. We’ve noticed that many people who do not have previous experience owning a home with a septic tank think that it is going to have massive maintenance fees and want to avoid any homes with a septic tank. If you are pumping your tank every three to five years like recommended, which will cost you around $300 to $500, you can keep your system in great working order and avoid any major costly repairs. People automatically assume that septic tanks come with a ton of additional expenses farther down the line, and if you maintain it properly, that’s not always the case. So, if there is a house you are really interested in and it’s on a septic tank, don’t be afraid. It is not going to affect or impact your everyday life whatsoever, and it does not come with major upkeep. The biggest thing to keep in mind is if you plan on putting in a pool in the backyard, you will want to pay attention to where the tank and the field lines are located at that house because obviously you can’t put in a pool if the tank is in the backyard, but oftentimes they are in the side or front yard. I recently replaced my 60 year old septic tank if that gives you any reference about how long they last. If you have them regularly inspected and pumped when necessary, you most likely won’t have any issues. The most important takeaway here is that home inspections are so extremely important during the home buying process, and you need an agent who knows how to troubleshoot any of these issues that might come up.
10 Mistakes When Buying A Home In Georgia
Buying a home can be a pretty stressful process. As an agent and team leader, I’ve seen plenty of these mistakes firsthand, and I would love to help prevent you from making the same ones. 1. RESALE HOMES One of the first common mistakes is that I see people make, when they are deciding to buy a home in Georgia, is ruling out resale homes. A lot of clients only want to look at new construction, and I have told y’all a time or two here lately how difficult it can be to nail down a new construction house, especially if you don’t have a flexible time frame. There are many, many more options for you if you include resale homes in your search. Sometimes people get worried that a resale home will come with a lot of issues since it is older, but that is not necessarily the case. Occasionally clients are only interested in resale, with the old saying “things aren’t made like they used to be” as their reasoning. Some older homes could have been built by an awesome builder and have stood the test of time, and some new construction homes could be rushed and not built to that same quality. The reverse of that could be said just as easily though- some resale homes that are older are showing their age and need things like new roofs and systems, while in a new construction home, everything will be brand new. It all boils down to the builder, so I wouldn’t advise refusing to see something that isn’t brand new. If you really had your heart set on something newer, we could add homes that have been built within the last five or so years to your search, so you are still looking at newer homes and giving you more options. It is all personal preference, but I wouldn’t suggest counting out homes that are twenty years or older. You could miss out on some really great gems by really narrowing down that time frame. 2. HOMES WITH SEPTIC TANKS Another mistake I see is people ruling out homes that have septic tanks. If you rule out homes with septic tanks, you are cutting out a huge number of options because septic tanks are very common here in north Georgia, and they are not that big of a deal. They do require some maintenance, but nothing outrageous and it’s only required every few years. That leads me to my next mistake people make though, which is not requesting a septic clearance letter or having a septic inspection done when buying a home that has a septic tank. It is recommended that you pump your septic tank every three to five years, so if the home you are interested in has one and the seller has just recently had it inspected and pumped, that’s great. If they disclose that this hasn’t been done in say 10 or 15 years, we will definitely want to have that done to avoid any issues in the future. I know a lot of homeowners that don’t have theirs pumped on that 5-year basis, and everything is fine… until suddenly one day it is not fine and there is sewage backing up. That can turn into an expensive, crappy mess, so it’s best to avoid that additional cost by maintaining it frequently, just like you would get an oil change in your car. What usually happens when you call to schedule a septic inspection, is they will give you a quote of say $300 for the inspection. Then once they get there for it, if the tank is below a certain amount of inches underground, which it usually is, they charge you an extra fee to dig that low. I would bank on going ahead and expecting it to cost you $400 to $450 dollars. If you are going to have it inspected, it makes the most sense to have it pumped at the same time. This is general homeowner maintenance, it’s nothing wild and crazy that you have to worry about every six months, and I definitely don’t think it’s worthy of ruling out a really amazing house just because it has one. If you have plans of putting in a pool though, you will want to know where the tank is, or else this might squash those pool dreams. 3. JOB UNCERTAINTY This next mistake is something that I hear about from buyers pretty frequently. I will get a phone call from someone who wants to relocate from out of state and they need to get approved for a loan to buy a house here, but they have not yet secured a job first. Now, if they have a job that they can work remotely and be anywhere in the county, this is obviously not an issue, but say you are renting in the state that you are currently living in, so you won’t have proceeds from a home sale out there and don’t have employment secured here, then that can be tricky. Something you might want to consider is going ahead and moving here to Georgia and renting while you are on the hunt for a job. If you sell your house in the state you are in now and can use those proceeds towards a down payment, that will definitely be an easier scenario to work with. I do also have a lot of people reach out once they have already secured a job here, which is fantastic and something you definitely will want to consider doing before deciding to make the move, and It will definitely make it easier for you to secure a home loan for that new house. 4. UNDISTRICTED HOME ADDRESS This next mistake is not one that I have heard of before, but it did recently just happen so I had to share. This isn’t something that would be an issue if you were relocating from out of the state, but only if you were moving locally within the same town. One of the girls on my team has friends who recently sold their house in a neighborhood and bought a house on a big piece of land that they are going to remodel. The new house they bought is just down the road from their old one and they did this process during the summer when school was out. Well, they took their son who is in elementary school to the open house to meet his new teacher and get ready for the school year just the other day. They went down to the cafeteria to add money to his lunch account, and they said “wait, what’s your address?” and so they gave them their new address of this home they just bought, and the lady at the school said, “…. Um, you aren’t districted for this school anymore.” They absolutely freaked out… school was supposed to start in just a few days and now all of a sudden, their poor kid finds out “Hey man, you don’t get to go to school with all of your friends, you have to start at a brand new school where you don’t know anyone and you start in two days.” They assumed since their new house was just down the road from their old one, that they would end up in the same district, and this was obviously not the case. School districts aren’t cut up into perfect little boxes, they are kind of haphazard and all over the place, so you will definitely want to confirm what schools the house you want is districted for… before you buy it. 5. DIGITAL DEPENDENCYI Think another common mistake people can make is really looking over the potential of a specific home or a certain area. If you are relocating from out of state and you have never spent much time here if any, and you might be drawn to a specific area over another based on what you see about it online. I would recommend coming into town and spending a few days exploring the town you think you really want to be in, and going to the surrounding areas as well. When you decide you want to come out and visit and we talk about what you are looking for, I can help point you in a direction that fits that criteria, but give you some options of some areas and neighborhoods you may not have considered. If you have school-aged kids, you might find yourself being a little more constricted on where you want to look in order to stay in a certain district, but if you are homeschooling or don’t have school-aged kids, I would definitely recommend exploring more options than just what you think you have your heart set on. You also don’t want to be fooled by a home’s paint color, or the way the current owners have it furnished. You might overlook something because it doesn’t necessarily match your style. It can be easy to forget when you are touring homes that that is not what a house is going to look like when you live in it. You might miss out on a really great house if you aren’t looking at the bigger picture and overlooking its true potential. You will want to first consider the things that you cannot change, like the size of the lot and the neighborhood or area it’s in. If it doesn’t have enough bedrooms to hold your family or there is no backyard and you have pets, or it’s an hour away from your work and you don’t want that kind of commute, these are bigger issues that you will want to hold at a higher value than things you can change, like paint, flooring, fixtures, and those details that you can control. 6. INDECISIVENESS The last mistake I have seen more recently since the market has been so crazy is people aren’t always prepared to make the jump as quickly as they need to be, or they drag their feet making a decision and miss out on a home they really wanted. In this market, most homes are getting several offers, so if you see a house that you really like that fits your needs, but want to see 10 more houses just in case, you are more than likely going to miss out on that house. You have to assume that you are competing against other buyers to secure a home, so you can’t drag your feet. Or people will start looking on Zillow and find a house they absolutely love, but they are not actually moving into town until after they sell their current home so they still have a few more months to go before they can even think about buying. By the time they are finally ready, that house they fell in love with is long gone, but they can’t get it out of their head and think nothing will ever be as perfect as it would have been and get discouraged with their new search. Of course, you will want to do your research and see what homes are like in the area, but try not to get attached to something you know won’t be there when you are actually ready to buy. You’ll want to get a feel for the area before you buy, but we will want to avoid scheduling showings because they aren’t going to still be available later on down the road if you can’t commit to putting a contract on anything yet. Have you moved recently? If so, is there anything you wish you knew before you made the move? I’d love to hear about it! My team and I can help you avoid making these mistakes and plenty more. If you want to learn more about Northeast Metro Atlanta or buying and selling a home, check out my YouTube channel for more content!
Top 5 Retirement Communities In North Georgia
When it comes to choosing a place to retire, North Georgia has emerged as a compelling alternative to the traditional retirement destinations. With its mild climate, breathtaking scenery, and an abundance of outdoor activities, North Georgia offers a perfect blend of relaxation and adventure. This region experiences all four seasons but maintains mild winters and temperate summers. In addition to its natural beauty, North Georgia boasts attractions like Lake Lanier, golf courses, shopping areas, and more. If you're considering an active adult community for your retirement, this guide will help you explore some of the best options in North Georgia. Hi, I'm a local real estate agent in the northeast metro Atlanta area, specializing in helping families relocate to Georgia, including retirees. Many retirees are drawn to this area due to its numerous 55+ communities, each offering unique amenities and lifestyles. Let's dive into the top five retirement communities in North Georgia. 1. Cresswind Twin Lakes (Hoschton, Jackson County) Conveniently located 15 minutes from Braselton, offering easy access to healthcare providers. New construction community with a significant waitlist; rare resale options. Home prices range from low $400s to nearly $900,000. Wide variety of floorplans, sizes, and amenities, including a state-of-the-art fitness center and a vast pickleball complex. 2. Lakecrest (Buford) A new construction community with no community amenities, but residents can access Lake Lanier. Small, 77-home neighborhood catering to active adults seeking low-maintenance homes. Homes are priced from the low $400s to around $500,000, depending on options and lot premiums. Convenient location near historic downtown Buford, Suwanee Town Square, Cumming Marketplace, and Mall of Georgia. 3. Del Webb Chateau Elan (Braselton) Offers quick access to Braselton's restaurants, healthcare, and amenities. Both new construction and resale homes available. Home prices range from the mid $400s to the upper $600s. Impressive amenities include an indoor pool, outdoor pool, tennis courts, and a community clubhouse with a ballroom. 4. Cresswind at Lake Lanier (Gainesville) Resale-only homes, built from 2007 to 2014. Offers homes ranging from just under $500,000 to $900,000, with larger floorplans available. Outstanding amenities include pickleball courts, indoor and outdoor pools, a 42,000 sq ft clubhouse, and access to Lake Lanier. Conveniently located near Gainesville's downtown, shops, restaurants, and the Northeast Georgia Medical Center. 5. Village at Deaton Creek (Hoschton) Close proximity to Braselton's amenities, just across the street from Del Webb Chateau Elan. Resale homes built between 2006 and 2015. Affordable options, with homes averaging from the high $300s to low $500s. Gated community with amenities such as indoor and outdoor pools, exercise rooms, craft rooms, and numerous clubs and groups. Keypoint North Georgia offers a wealth of active adult communities, each with its unique charm and amenities. Whether you're seeking a vibrant social scene, access to healthcare, or simply a serene retirement setting, you can find the perfect match among these top five retirement communities. Each community offers various home styles, amenities, and price points, ensuring there's something for everyone. So, if you're considering retiring in Georgia, explore these fantastic communities to enjoy the region's beauty, great weather, and an active lifestyle. For more information about retiring in Georgia, please check out this video.
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